Shown below is a document I forwarded to Cheswick Green Parish Council a few weeks ago. The document is basically my notes following a meeting with representatives of Bloor Homes, their agents and a council planning officer. It is meant to be pragmatic, although some might accuse me of rolling over to satisfy developers. However, as with all law, planning law is a minefield and recognition of decrees from central government (in respect of the need for more houses) and the penalties imposed through the planning inspectorate if local authorities make perverse objections. The section ‘The Bottom Line’ gives my thoughts ‘ Extra 54 homes: I feel this will not be too much a barrier for the planning department and suspect the planning inspectorate will take short shrift if the local authority refuses more affordable houses being built within an existing development footprint. There is a genuine need for these houses and one complaint I do have when trying to justify development is that ‘most of the houses are not affordable and are 4/5 bedroom houses’. The document can be read here: notes-from-meeting-with-bloors-and-planning

What is significant is that a decrease of 4/5 bedroom houses will see an increase in 2 bedroom houses. These will be deemed as ‘affordable’ and I doubt any planning inspector in the country will object to affordable houses being built. This is my presumption but I feel this is soundly based. No objection to the development of much needed affordable houses is likely to succeed, especially if the footprint of the original permitted development is not increased and the area for open public green space remains the same as well.

Below is a photograph showing the previously agreed plans with the new proposals: